Thailand Seizes Ton of Elephant Tusks From Africa

BANGKOK, Feb 25 – Thai authorities on Friday displayed a ton of illicitly smuggled African elephant ivory and rhino horns seized at Bangkok's airport, a haul described as a victory for better international intelligence sharing among wildlife officials.

The Customs Department says the 118 tusks and 50 additional cut pieces of ivory, along with three rhino horns weighing a total of 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) are worth more than $1.7 million.

The tusks were found Wednesday at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in 11 boxes declared as crafts, after a roundabout journey from Lagos, Nigeria via Doha, Qatar and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Full story and pictures HERE

-- Pattaya Daily News 2010-02-26

Over one ton of tusks, rhino horns seized at airport

BANGKOK, Feb 26 -- Customs officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport have seized tusks and rhino horns weighing more than one ton and worth about Bt52 million, a senior Thai Customs Department official said.

Chaweewan Kongchareankitkul, deputy director-general of the Customs Department, said 118 tusks and 50 additional cut pieces of ivory weighing about 1.03 tons and three rhino horns weighing 2.7 kilograms with a combined value of approximately Bt52 million were found in 11 crates. The seizure was made Wednesday.

The importer was a private firm in Bangkok’s neighbouring province of Pathum Thani which declared them as crafts, said Mrs Chaweewan, adding that the company was guilty of declaring false goods and also violating the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

During the current fiscal 2011, which began October 1, 2010, customs officials at the airport had earlier charged three importers for violating the CITES by illegally bringing in coral reefs, sea flowers and fish worth about Bt1.4 million into the kingdom. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-02-26

African elephants have larger value?